Written Answers Nos. 225-236
225. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if funding will be provided to Kerry County Council to allow it to carry out treatment of Japanese knotweed along regional and local roads (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47408/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
My Department has not sought applications from local authorities for grant assistance in relation to the treatment of Japanese Knotweed on the regional and local road network and has no record of a request for funding from Kerry County Council for such treatment in relation to regional and local roads.
226. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the volume of activity at Waterford Port in terms of goods in and out for each of the years 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017, by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47415/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Central Statistics Office publish Statistics of Port Traffic on their website cso.ie. http://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/transport/. Figures for 2017 will not be available on this website until the 2nd Quarter of 2018.
227. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the volume of activity at Rosslare Europort in terms of goods in and out for each of the years 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017, by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47416/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy is aware that Rosslare Europort is unique among the State owned ports as it is not a company operating under the Harbours Acts, but is instead operated as a division of Iarnród Éireann.
I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's questions to Iarnród Éireann for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
228. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to deepen the ports of Waterford or Rosslare; if a feasibility study has been done regarding costs and benefits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47417/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Port of Waterford operates as an independent commercial company under the Harbours Acts and the planning of infrastructural requirements is an operational matter for the port.
I am aware that Waterford Port is in the process of developing a Masterplan to meet the future trading needs of the Port. That plan will inform whether there will be a requirement for deepening the channel or otherwise. As the Port of Waterford does not receive any State funding, any such work must be funded from the port’s own resources.
Rosslare Europort is unique among the State owned ports as it is not a company operating under the Harbours Acts, but is instead operated as a division of Iarnród Éireann and any plans to deepen the port to allow larger ships to dock or otherwise is an operational matter for the port and Iarnród Éireann.
I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's questions to Iarnród Éireann for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
229. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for the ports of Rosslare and Waterford in the context of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47418/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIrish ports operate as independent commercial companies and planning and preparations in the context of Brexit are operational matters for the ports. I have therefore forwarded the question to the Port of Waterford Company and, with regard to Rosslare Europort, to Iarnród Éireann for direct reply.
The impact of Brexit on shipping and on Irish ports will be dependent on the outcome of EU-UK negotiations. Ports are aware of the possible negative implications Brexit may have on the movement of goods and people and are working with relevant agencies to try and avoid undue delays. In line with normal business planning, ports review their infrastructural requirements on a regular basis.
My Department held a Workshop in April on the impact of Brexit on maritime transport, regulation and on the sectors on which this impacts. Stakeholders, including Rosslare Europort and Waterford Port, were invited from organisations across the broader maritime sector, such as merchant shipping, national shipping, fishing vessels, recreational craft, ports, equipment suppliers, service providers and training providers.
In addition, my Department, in conjunction with the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO), is commencing a study into the use of the UK Land bridge by Irish importers and exporters. The purpose of this research is to establish the volume of traffic using the UK Land bridge at present, the likely consequences that Brexit will have on Land bridge usage and the various alternative options that may be viable. I expect this piece of research to be completed in Q1 of 2018.
My officials will continue to work with the maritime sector and with other stakeholders to identify and plan for the implications of Brexit.
230. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of a sports capital funding application by a club (details supplied); when funding announcements will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47426/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 2017 round of the Sports Capital Programme closed for applications on the 24th February. By the closing date, a record number of 2,320 applications seeking €155 million in grants were received. I can confirm that an application has been submitted by the organisation referred to.
When the programme was launched, it was envisaged that €30m would be available which would have made the allocation of grants particularly challenging. Following the conclusion of the budget discussions and in order to allow as many worthwhile projects as possible to receive some funding, I am pleased that significant extra resources have been secured to allocate under this round.
The assessment of all the 2,320 applications is now nearing completion and I expect to be in a position to announce full details of the allocations in the coming weeks.
231. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the bid for the Rugby World Cup was weaker than other bids due to the lack of broadband infrastructure; if broadband access was discussed at any point; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47444/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra232. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the bid for the Rugby World Cup bid was weaker due to the lack of delivery of the N20; if this road infrastructure or other infrastructure weaknesses were discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47445/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 232 together.
I was disappointed and surprised by the recent findings of the Rugby World Cup Board which has made a recommendation for previous hosts South Africa to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. That said, while all candidates had relative strengths and weaknesses that were subject to comment within the report, it is very clear that Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) was hugely impressed by the quality of the bid put forward on behalf of Ireland.
Ireland scored top / joint top in 12 of the 21 scored categories, second in two and in all cases met or exceeded RWCL requirements. Ireland's bid included proposals for Transport and Information Technology and while there was some comment about the lack of current provision, the plans for delivery of the tournament ensured that Ireland met or exceeded the requirements for hosting a successful Rugby World Cup.
In that regard, I was pleased to see that the Evaluation Report acknowledged the quality of Ireland’s plans, and our ability to stage a successful event in 2023, stating as it does ‘any of the three candidates could host a successful Rugby World Cup’.
I would hope that a majority of World Rugby Council members, who will vote on November 15th, will place their trust in Ireland to deliver an outstanding Rugby World Cup 2023. Appropriate engagement with various Rugby Unions will continue over the coming days ahead of the concluding vote.
Together with the Irish Rugby Football Union the Government will, in the coming week, strongly relay Ireland’s compelling proposition to World Rugby Council members ahead of the vote on November 15th as the team competes to turn our historic bid plans into reality.
233. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the Medical Bureau of Road Safety formally informed his predecessor regarding a matter (details supplied); if not, the reason therefor; if the bureau has formally informed him since taking office; if he was not formally informed, the disciplinary action he will take in view of the fact that this omission may have led to a greater number of road deaths and injuries than might otherwise have occurred; if the former Minister was informed of the reason this process of fake breath tests was not immediately terminated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47504/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOne of the statutory functions of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS), as laid down in the Road Traffic Acts 1968 –2016, is the approval, supply and testing of equipment or apparatus for indicating the presence of alcohol in the breath. The Bureau is not responsible for the administration of breath tests, the oversight of breath tests or the auditing of breath tests which is an operational matter for An Garda Síochána.
In the summer of 2014, the Director of the Bureau verbally informed my Department of his concerns in relation to the lack of demand from An Garda Síochána for the purchase of replacement mouthpieces for the roadside breath-alcohol screening devices in recent years. This was in the context of early discussions between my Department and the Bureau to identify Exchequer funding requirements for 2015. This matter was raised with An Garda Síochána during 2015 and 2016.
The full extent of the issues with the Garda Mandatory Alcohol Testing (MAT) statistics only became known to my Department as a result of the Garda announcement on this issue on 23rd March 2017.
As the role and functions of the MBRS are clearly set out in legislation and do not include operational oversight of An Garda Síochána, the question of disciplinary action does not arise.
234. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the rail review will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47513/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Transport Authority (NTA) and Iarnród Éireann report on the Rail Review was published in 2016.
Since then, the NTA has held a public consultation on the Review. Over 300 submissions were received in response to that consultation process.
The NTA has recently submitted a report of those submissions to my Department. Once I have reviewed the report, I intend to bring it to Government for consideration.
It is my intention that the consultation report should be published by the NTA following consideration by Government. In advance of that, no decisions have been taken regarding matters such as the future of individual rail lines or investment in the company and its relevant infrastructure.
235. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will address the issues facing a centre (details supplied) with regard to funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47346/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI note the Deputy's question relates to the 2016 Childcare Regulations, which have impacted on the eligibility of Community Employment (CE) participants active within some providers including the service in question. Additionally, the communication refers to the affordability of childcare to families in disadvantaged areas and the need for additional funding in relation to payment for out of school time activities and services. Concerning the changes in the CE scheme, €1m in funding has been made available to services that may find themselves unsustainable under the 2016 Regulations. Two phases of funding were made available in the 2017 budget to aid community childcare providers as a result of these regulatory developments; phase one related to HR and recruitment support, while phase two is being provided on foot of a detailed financial analysis of services.
The application for phase two of CE funding, from the service in question, has been provisionally approved, and they will shortly receive a communication outlining the next steps required to complete the funding process. However, to be eligible for receipt of CE Sustainability funding and childcare supports a service is required to have the correct legal status. Therefore, our assessment process for this stream of funding includes checks regarding the legal structure and governance structures of applicant services. At the time of application the service in question was not a registered company, and therefore their application could not be progressed until the issue was resolved. As the service was aware of this issue in advance of application, the resultant delays were out of the Department’s control, and could have been averted following appropriate notification and engagement from the service in question.
In respect of the wider sustainability issues identified in your communication: In September 2017 subvention rates under the targeted schemes rose by 50%, and an additional universal subsidy to the amount of €20 a week per child was also made available. This increase in funding will provide support for parents in low paid employment and training or education by enabling qualifying individuals to avail of reduced childcare costs at participating community childcare services. In addition, €3.5m in Programme Support Payments have been allocated to all childcare providers who register for the enhanced (September) childcare measures. There is a commitment to pay this additional €3.5m between September and the end of this year. This will therefore bring the total payments in respect of ‘Programme Support Payments’ in 2017 to €18m.
236. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of proposals to establish the Atlantic economic corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47515/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for a Partnership Government and the Action Plan for Rural Development both contain a commitment to progress the concept of an Atlantic Economic Corridor which was proposed in February 2016 by a group involving a number of Chambers of Commerce in the Western region and the American Chambers of Commerce of Ireland.
The overarching objective of the Atlantic Economic Corridor concept is to maximise the assets of the western region, from Kerry to Donegal, and connect the economic hubs, clusters and catchments of the region to attract investment, support job creation and contribute to an improved quality of life for those who live in the region.
I established an Atlantic Economic Corridor Taskforce in March to progress the proposal. The Taskforce includes senior representatives from the business sector, key Government Departments and other public bodies, and Third Level institutions.
The Taskforce has met four times since it was established and will continue to meet on a regular basis. A number of sub-groups of the Taskforce have also been established to progress specific aspects of the overall proposal.
The Atlantic Economic Corridor has the potential to contribute to effective regional development in the context of the forthcoming National Planning Framework.
